Kyoto, Japan: 4-Day Travel Vlog + Itinerary

Planning a trip to Japan? Kyoto is one of my favorite places to visit in Japan. It has the ability to transport you back in time and is seeping with rich history and culture. I can’t wait to show you what the area has to offer!

I recommend staying in Kyoto for at least three to four days if you can. The most popular destinations are all over, and it takes time to visit each of them.

In this article, you’ll get my exact 4-day Kyoto travel itinerary featured in the following video. It’s filled with Japan travel tips, things to do, places to eat, and more! I hope you enjoy it!

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Table of Contents

4-Day Kyoto Travel Itinerary

Day One – Travel to Kyoto

Getting to Kyoto from Osaka is easy. You can take the Shinkansen and get there within 15 minutes.

On our first day, we ate lunch at the underground mall at Kyoto Station, checked into our hotel, and then scoped out the Pontocho District, where we got hot pot for dinner.

PRO TIP: Whenever we change hotels, I always leave the day open to take it easy and rest because traveling with luggage in Japan is always more tiring than expected.

Plus, I knew the next day was going to be a big walking day.

PLACES VISITED:

📍Kineya in Porta
📍Hotel Resol Kyoto Kawaramachi Sanjo (see availability)
📍Imozou Kyoto Kiyamachi (Motsunabe hot pot)

Day Two – Hiking Fushimi Inari

📍Cafe goo (Coffee & Breakfast)

The street leading towards Fushimi Inari is filled with many shops and restaurants. Fushimi Inari is a bit of a workout, which you’ll soon see, so we decided to grab a bite before heading up to the shrines.

There are food stalls with various street food options Closer to the shrine, but we wanted a quiet place to sit down and eat. Plus, coffee was very much needed.

We discovered a small cafe run by two women with siphon coffee and toast. Both were delicious!

📍Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine

The Fushimi Inari Shrine is one of Kyoto’s oldest and most historic landmarks. It is an important Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto and is famous for its thousands of torii gates that line a network of trails towards Mount Inari.

What is the significance of Fushimi Inari?

The torii gates along the trail are donations by individuals and companies in the hopes of receiving good luck and fortune from the god of rice, Inari. You can find the donator’s name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of the torii.

You’ll also notice many fox statues across the shrine grounds. Foxes in Japan are considered the messengers of god, similar to the deer of Nara Park in Nara. Some of the stone foxes even have keys in their mouths. These are keys to the rice granaries that they protect.

How long does it take to walk up Fushimi Inari?

The hike to the mountain’s summit and back takes about 2-3 hours. However, visitors can walk as far as they wish before returning.

A popular place to stop and turn around is about thirty to forty-five minutes up the trail where you will reach an intersection with a nice view over Kyoto.

There are also a few restaurants along the way that offer locally themed dishes such as Inari Sushi and Kitsune Udon.

Walking up and down the trails is quite a workout, so definitely make sure to wear comfortable shoes and layers of clothing!

📍Kōdai-ji Temple

After grabbing a bite to eat near the shrine, we head over to Kodai-ji Temple, which I do not recommend doing in hindsight.

The hike up and down the Fushimi Inari trails is a workout in itself, so I don’t recommend planning anything too active afterward.

Kodaiji Temple is located up the hill from Gion and is known for its special night illuminations in spring, summer, and autumn. It’s a serene temple with a small bamboo forest, historical buildings, and a relaxing place to stop for tea.

Again, I would not recommend doing anything active after Fushimi Inari, but I 100% recommend adding both destinations to your Kyoto itinerary.

PLACES VISITED:

📍Cafe goo (siphon coffee & breakfast)
📍Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine
📍Fushimi Inari Sando Chaya (snack near Fushimi Inari)
📍Kōdai-ji Temple

Day Three – Cafe Hopping / Work Day

The next day was a dedicated low-key cafe hopping day where I spent the day catching up on work and resting my feet from the day before.

Places Visited:

📍 Smart Coffee (Located on Teramachi Senmontenkai Shopping Street)
📍 Blue Bottle Coffee Kyoto Kiyamachi Cafe (no outlets but nice seating area)
📍 Starbucks Coffee – Kyoto Sanjo-Ohashi Bridge
📍 Starbucks Coffee – Kyoto BAL
📍Tully’s Coffee (Nakagyo Ward, underground coffee shop in a mall with outlets)
📍Masayoshi Japanese Dining

Day Four – Arashiyama

📍Arashiyama

The next day, we visited one of my favorite areas in Kyoto–Arashiyama.

Arashiyama is one of the most popular Kyoto tourist destinations in the spring and fall. It’s a serene area with bamboo forests, temples, monkey parks, and more.

I wanted to eat at a cafe by the river, but it was closed the day we went. Instead, we ended up at a restaurant near the water (📍Arashiyama Yoshimura) where we got hot soba, which was perfect.

➡️ I eventually ate at the cafe by the river, and it’s featured in this itinerary.

The weather today was windy and pretty chilly. After we ate, I stopped to get a warm taiyaki in a shop on one of the main roads, mainly to keep my hands warm as we walked through the area.

📍Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

One of the biggest draws to Arashiyama is the amazing bamboo forest. I personally like the bamboo forest at Kodaiji better because it’s not as crowded, however, you can somewhat beat the crowds by visiting in the morning.

📍Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street

My dad taught me that one of the best ways to see Japan, know what real estate is available, and get to know the areas is to explore off-the-beaten path.

After seeing the main tourist area, we took a local bus to a neighboring temple to walk back down through the Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street.

➡️ For some reason, we could not find the Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple on this first trip to Kyoto. However, I was able to visit during my next trip to Japan.

The street is lined with historical houses and buildings preserved in the style of the Meiji Period (1868-1912) with many of the traditional buildings now serving as shops and restaurants.

The street was quiet and a stark difference from where we were previously. It was a peaceful walk, and I enjoyed taking in my surroundings and supporting the local businesses in the area.

📍eX Cafe

Before returning to our hotel, we stopped at a cafe tucked away off the main road.

Here, you can cook your own dango, drink tea, and rest your feet after a day of walking around.

PLACES VISITED:

📍Arashiyama
📍Arashiyama Yoshimura (soba)
📍Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
📍Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street
📍Senou (local cafe near Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street)
📍eX Cafe

Conclusion

Kyoto is a must-visit, especially if it’s your first time in Japan. I love how it can transport you back in time and is seeping with rich Japanese history and culture.

We have one more stop on this trip before heading to Tokyo.

And it’s another area known for its rich culture, beauty, and well-preserved historical architecture–Kanazawa.

Kyoto, Japan: 4-Day Travel Vlog + Itinerary